December 2025 further deepened the slowdown in Poland’s rental market—much like in 2023 and 2024. On the supply side, the number of apartments available for rent fell by 11% month on month, while demand—measured by the number of inquiries on the Otodom platform—dropped by as much as 23% compared with November. Both indicators declined in a way typical for the year-end period. The beginning of 2026, however, may bring a gradual recovery. At the same time, the question is resurfacing more frequently: will Poland introduce regulations to organize rental market rules?
In December, the rental market showed the usual downturn associated with the holiday and vacation season. 10.4 thousand new listings entered the market, compared with 14.7 thousand a month earlier, a decline of nearly 30%. By the end of the month, 21.9 thousand listings were available. In all 18 cities analyzed by Otodom, the number of listings fell compared with November 2025. The largest declines were recorded in Zielona Góra (-23%), Bydgoszcz (-17%), and Łódź (-17%). A significant drop in supply was also observed in Warsaw, where the number of listings fell by about 1,000 units, or 15%.
“By the end of December, the pool of available listings had shrunk by nearly 3,000 compared with the beginning of the month. Although smaller markets reacted more sharply in percentage terms, the nationwide result was driven primarily by the largest centers—Warsaw, Gdańsk, and Wrocław. Typically, after such an end-of-year decline, the first rebound becomes visible as early as January, and that should also be the case this year. At the same time, the further dynamics of the market will be significantly influenced by, among other things, how the banking sector responds to CIT increases and how this translates into mortgage financing costs, as well as by announced legal changes concerning short- and long-term rentals,” explains Paweł Jarząbek, a real estate market expert at Otodom.
The government is preparing regulations to organize the short-term rental segment. A draft bill is expected to be submitted for parliamentary debate in the first quarter of 2026 and would treat this segment on par with hotel services. The most controversial proposal involves granting local governments the authority to create zones excluded from short-term rentals.
“The introduction of new regulations could trigger a natural process of adaptation and change in the rental market. For example, for some owners of apartments currently rented short term, selling the property may become more attractive, increasing supply on the secondary market. Others may decide to shift their properties exclusively to long-term rentals, which should translate into greater availability of listings in that segment,” adds Jarząbek.
These are, however, just some of the possible scenarios in the medium term. Seasonality remains an important background factor, as the end of the year is also a period when some owners withdraw apartments from the rental market in order to sell them and reinvest in newer properties, further constraining supply.
Interest in Renting Down 23% Month on Month
In December, activity among people searching for rental apartments fell by 23% compared with November, while the year-on-year decline was relatively minor (-2%). This is another signal of the seasonal pattern typical of year-end. On the one hand, the calendar plays a role—students usually already have accommodation secured, and employee mobility decreases. On the other hand, organizational processes slow down: recruitment and relocations decelerate as companies close their budgets.
Importantly, despite lower demand, tenant preferences remain unchanged. Since the beginning of 2025, two-room apartments have consistently dominated, and December was no exception—such units generated around half of all searches on the Otodom platform. As Paweł Jarząbek notes: “Both the number of rooms and the most commonly selected apartment size (around 40 square meters) have effectively become market standards. In the comparable period at the end of December 2024, we observed virtually the same search structure on Otodom.”
While preferred parameters remain stable, declared budgets vary by city, shifting either upward or downward. In December, this was particularly visible in Poznań: in the two-room segment, the most frequently indicated budget threshold moved from PLN 3,000 to PLN 2,500 per month. This indicates that tenants are closely tracking price changes and adjusting their expectations to the current supply.
Prices Largely Unchanged
In December, the average asking rent stood at around PLN 3,700, or PLN 71 per square meter, which was just under 1% higher than in November and, on a year-on-year basis, virtually unchanged. Data from the past 12 months show that in 2025, rents changed by an average of -0.02% month on month, compared with +0.13% month on month in 2024.
“In 2025, we observed a clear stabilization of rents in the rental market, which correlated with developments in the sales segment. Interest rate cuts significantly increased the creditworthiness of many households, stimulating activity in both the developer and secondary markets. This outflow of some tenants toward homeownership—confirmed by record sales of new apartments at the end of the year—effectively reduced upward pressure on rents. Depending on how banks respond to new tax burdens, including potential increases in mortgage margins, this trend may continue in 2026 as well, especially given that the Polish market is still characterized by a strong preference for homeownership,” explains Jarząbek.
At the end of 2025, Warsaw remained the most expensive rental market, with an average rent of PLN 5,000. Outside the capital, relatively high rates persisted in Wrocław (PLN 3,100), the Tri-City (PLN 3,200), and Kraków (PLN 3,200). Among the cities included in the Otodom analysis, the lowest rents were recorded in Kielce, Białystok, and Zielona Góra.
On a year-on-year basis, Opole stood out, with average rents rising by 10%, the highest increase among all cities analyzed by Otodom. The next strongest annual increases were recorded in Olsztyn (+8.2%) and Bydgoszcz (+4.8%).
Source: https://ceo.com.pl/grudniowe-hamowanie-na-rynku-najmu-mieszkan-podaz-11-popyt-23-18990
